Most voters skip election in municipalities

Friday

Nov 8, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Another election has come and gone. But a vast majority of people who live in Davidson County's five municipalities failed to make the effort to vote. Some can be forgiven: Wallburg voters saw uncontested races for mayor and town council, and two of Lexington's wards had only one candidate on the ballot. Mayor Newell Clark also faced no opposition. But that left voters with choices in two ward races in Lexington, Thomasville mayor and city council, Denton mayor and town council, and Midway Town Council, yet turnout remained low in those areas as well.

Another election has come and gone. But a vast majority of people who live in Davidson County's five municipalities failed to make the effort to vote. Some can be forgiven: Wallburg voters saw uncontested races for mayor and town council, and two of Lexington's wards had only one candidate on the ballot. Mayor Newell Clark also faced no opposition. But that left voters with choices in two ward races in Lexington, Thomasville mayor and city council, Denton mayor and town council, and Midway Town Council, yet turnout remained low in those areas as well.Overall, turnout was about 11.35 percent. That means only about 1 in 10 voters made it to the polls. Even in Thomasville, where all seven council seats and the mayor's position were up for election, turnout ranged from 3.33 percent to 14.01 percent in the nine precincts. Lexington's Ward 1, which featured a tight race between incumbent Ronald Reid and the eventual victor, the Rev. Herbert Miller II, only saw 14.46 percent. A nod goes to Denton voters, where 37.06 turned out in the Denton precinct, and 54.48 percent voted in the Emmons precinct. Still, that means only half of the eligible voters in the Emmons precinct made it to the polls.Denton voters also provided the one surprise, turning out incumbent Mayor Scott Morris. Morris had served for 10 years as mayor and 30 years in city government. Yet he lost to newcomer Larry Ward, 56 percent to 44 percent. Interestingly, the two incumbents seeking re-election to the town council, Deanna Grubb and Wayne Plaster, both won. The Morris family has a long history of leadership in Denton, but some citizens may believe it's time for someone else to have a go at it.The only other incumbent to lose was Reid, but that can't be considered an upset. Miller almost won a seat on the city council two years ago, narrowly losing out for the second at-large seat. He's served on several boards and leads one of the city's prominent churches, First Baptist on Village Drive. Reid served one term on the council.The make-up of the Lexington City Council continues to change. The election two years ago saw a new mayor in Clark and three new council members. Two more newcomers will take their seats next month, as Tobin Shepherd will join Miller. Shepherd ran unopposed in Ward 2 after long-time councilman Donnie McBride decided not to seek re-election. So when leaders talk about change in the city's leadership, the turnover on the council reinforces that position.Now attention will begin to focus on the 2014 primary, which will come in six months. Some races already promise fireworks, such as the battle for N.C. House District 80. All the courthouse positions will be on the ballot along with four seats on the board of commissioners. Hopefully the turnout will be closer to the 67 percent in 2012, too.

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